Shameless plugging!

Full Stride Productions Presents

In Deep: A Two-Part Makeup Workshop

Learn basic and advanced makeup, know which products work best for you, and get some tips on becoming a professional makeup artist!

Instructor: Ms.Lorelei Tan, professional makeup artist

When: April 19 and 26, 2008, 1:00-5:00 pm

Where: Palm Function Room, Richmonde Hotel, 21 San Miguel, Ortigas Avenue, Pasig City

Fee: P3,500 inclusive of snacks and materials

For more information, please contact: Mia - 0917.5234689
email - indeepworkshop@gmail.com

See you there!!!

Blush favorites - part two

First of all, ladies...

I haven't been updating as I have been so swamped with work and thesis. I can't believe it's been two weeks since I last updated! I'll try to update more regularly now. Anyway here's part two of the Blush Shades for the Morena.

1) MAC Peachykeen
- This is one of my favorite MAC blushers. It's quite pigmented, so make sure you just swipe a dollop onto your cheeks.

2) NARS Crazed
- This plum shade is really pigmented too so use a light hand when applying this.

3) NARS Lovejoy
- This blush is a mixture of rose, bronze and peach. It has a slight golden shimmer and looks very natural on the cheeks.

4)NARS Gilda
- I was a bridesmaid at a wedding once and the makeup artist used this on me. I love it!

5) L'Oreal Front Page Peach
- This blusher is a perfect shade of peachy-coral, which I imagine can suit most skin tones, morena and mestiza. It has a slight shimmer and it lasts a pretty long time. Last time I heard, L'Oreal was phasing this blush but if not, better grab this one while supplies last!

6) MAC Sunbasque
- This is another favorite of mine among the MAC Sheertone Blush line. It has a slight shimmer but not the overpowering kind.

7) Maybelline Soft Plum
- This blush is part of the Dream Mousse line so it's a bit trickier to apply than powder blushers. It looks pretty dark in the pan too, but like with most blushers, the color transforms on your cheeks. I really like the color it gives but it doesn't stay put unlike NARS and MAC blushers, which have great staying power.

Other blushers to check out are MAC Pinch O Peach, Peachtwist, NARS Exhibit A, NARS Desire, E.L.F Blush in Glow and The Body Shop Sweetnut Blush. In general, us with darker skin tones need more color than our mestiza counterparts. When looking for a blush, opt for dark peaches, apricots, plums, red oranges and deep bronzes. If you want to use bronzers along with your blushers, blend the bronzer on the spots where the sun hits most often. These are your forehead, the bridge of your nose and the top of your cheekbones. Use the blusher along the apples of your cheeks.

So there, these are the blush shades that I think will suit those of us with darker skin tones. The trick is to not be afraid of trying out new shades. Most of my favorite blushers, such as NARS Cactus Flower, looks scary in the pan, but then they actually look really nice when you apply them onto your cheeks.

Blush favorites

Based on countless product testing, here are some blushes I think would suit morena skin tones well. This is just part one, because there are so many. Part two, coming very soon!

Anyway, you might want to check these out:

1. L'Oreal Blush Delice in Pink Grapefruit
- A pink powder blush with light shimmer. One of my HG blushes and one of my favorites in the Blush Delice line. In general, I don't like using the brushes that come with L'oreal's Blush Delice because it's scratchy and it tends to streak, so I just use my regular blush brush.

2. MAC Dollymix
- A MAC blush bestseller, this shade practically suits all skin tones. It looks kind of scary in the pan, but when you put it on, it looks really good on your skin. MAC blushes are really pigmented so go easy on the application.

3. NARS Orgasm
- One of my most used blushes. Ever.

4. Body Shop Blush in Golden Pink
- This blush esembles NARS Orgasm and MAC Springsheen but it's definitely more affordable.

5. Awake Stardom Pure Blush in Burnished Honey
- I stumbled onto this while I was checking out their eyeshadow palettes. At first the color didn't seem striking enough for me to try it, but the saleslady at the counter told me to check it out so okay, I did. I'm all for checking new stuff out anyway. I'm glad I did, because like so many other blushes, the color transforms on your cheeks. Pick this up if you're going for a neutral shade.

6. L'Oreal Blush in Fresh Papaya
- Another favorite Blush Delice product, this blush is an apricot shade with light shimmer. Love love love. Gives the most natural sheen which is really perfect especially if you have a nice golden tan or if you've just come back from the beach.

7. NARS Cactus Flower
- like MAC Dollymix, it looks scary in the pan, but when you put it on, it fades onto your skin very nicely. It's a cream blush so it's perfect especially if you have dry skin. Use your fingers to blend it in.

8. Shu Uemura P Orange 58 D
- My favorite among the Shu Uemura blushes. It looks dark-orangey in the pan but gives you just the right pop of color when you apply it on your cheeks.

Beauty on a Budget

A reader requested something on beauty on a budget. It came just at the right moment because I've been wanting to put up something like that. Anyway, here's something morena ladies out there might want to use.

Before anything else, have a good skincare regimen. Invest in good skincare products because not only will it protect your skin now but someday you'll look back and you'll be glad you took care of your skin when you were younger. Besides, makeup does look much better on good skin and you won't have to spend so much money on products just to cover unsightly blemishes.

The rule of thumb is cleanse-tone-moisturize. Fortunately for all of us, there are tons of good skincare products out there that won't bust our budget.

1. Cleanse- For cleansers, I personally love L'orea Pore Minimizing Cleanser. It's my HG cleanser. My friend also swears by this. She says she doesn't get pimples when she started using it. Another product you might want to check out is Cetaphil cleanser. It's around 235 pesos. Biolink Papaya Cleanser is also pretty good, and it's cheap, at just 46 bucks. Tip: Spread the cleanser onto your face in swirling motions using only your ring and pinky fingers. This way, you don't tug at your skin and cause premature wrinkles by using all the fingers of your hand.

2. Tone - Toners or astringents are used to remove excess impurities that your cleanser hasn't removed. Go for alcohol-free ones because these don't strip away the moisture your skin naturally needs. Go for Neutrogena alcohol-free toner or Cetaphil alcohol-free toner.

3. Moisturize - Yes, even if you have oily skin like me, you'll still need to moisturize. I prefer moisturizers with SPF already. I cannot stress enough how important it is to wear sunscreen. You should even wear sunscreen even when you're just at home because the UV rays of your computer or your TV also make an impact on your skin. I like Oil of Olay Total Effects Moisturizer. It contains SPF 15 already so you're both moisturized and protected. At night, you can switch to a moisturizer without SPF, so you can let your skin breathe. Check out Clean and Clear's Moisturizer or Myra E-Moisturizer.

Do this routine twice a day and I'm sure you'll be on your way to great skin in no time. These products are relatively cheap and are available at your friendly neighborhood Watson's store.

As for makeup, there are also plenty of makeup products that are budget-friendly. I think for a basic makeup kit, you would need the following:

1. Foundation/Tinted Moisturizer
2. Blush
3.Lipgloss/Lipstick
4. Eyelash curler
5. Concealer

You might also want to get eyeshadows and eyeliners just to make your eye more "eye-popping." But anyway, those four will do for a simple, no-makeup look.

After prepping your skin (cleanse-tone-moisturize), apply your foundation. Determine your skin type first so you'll know which products work best for you. Liquid foundations are the most versatile type of foundation. They glide on easily and offer natural-looking coverage. If you have dry skin, check out mousse foundation. Dab a small amount of the product onto the back of your hand and then dot onto the skin with a sponge. Check out Maybelline's Dream Mousse Matt Foundation. It's light and very easy to apply. You just have to blend using your fingers. This product is around 599 pesos. Other products to check out are In2It Oil Control 2-way foundation with SPF or Maybelline Clear Smooth Two way powder. Mineral makeup is also starting to get a cult following. I've tried L'oreal's True Match Mineral powder foundation and I love it. For morenas, check out #5 Golden Sand. Just swirl the brush that comes with it onto the powder, tap to get rid of excess powder and dot on forehead, cheeks, nose and chin. Spread, spread, spread and you've got flawless coverage. To check what your foundation color is, get a small amount of the product and test it onto your jawline. The color should fade easily. If it doesn't, then it's either too dark or too light.

2)After foundation, apply your concealer. I personally like L'oreal's True Match Super Blendable Concealer because it works wonders on my dark undereye circles. For blemishes, I sometimes dab on VOV's cream concealer. VOV also works as a foundation. This two in one product is so cheap at just around 200 bucks! If you're morena, you're either #2 or #3. Get a concealer shade that's ONE shade lighter than your skintone. Remember, foundation FIRST then concealer.

3)Set everything with powder, like Clean and Clear oil control powder.

4) Apply blush. There are sooo many good blushes out there. Check out E.L.F. Radiance Blush in Glow, which is similar to the famous NARS Orgasm blush but much cheaper at just 120 bucks. Herbench Pretty When Pinched is good too, at just 158 bucks. Many girls are raving about G-lish blush, which costs only 350. Fashion 21 single blush #1 is good too and it's cheap at just around 125 bucks. For beginners, I suggest you use powder blush first because it's the easiest to apply. Swirl your powder brush onto the blush, tap, smile and apply blush on the apples of your cheeks. Blend carefully so you don't have streaks on your face. I like L'Oreal's Blush Delice in Pink Grapefruit. If you're morena, you might want to stick to blush shades that are more on the peach, deep apricot, coral shades.

5)Apply lipgloss or lipstick to give your lips a nice, healthy sheen. Check out Maybelline's Fruity Jelly lipgloss which is just 199 bucks. Check out the glosses in The Face Shop too, for good but inexpensive lip tints. I super love Revlon's Super Lustrous lipgloss in Glossy Rose. It's an HG gloss for me. It's just the right amount of shine. Not too pale, but not too tacky either.

6) Curl your lashes. If there's one super easy thing you can do to look more "awake" and alive, it's curling your lashes. Grab Fanny Serrano's eyelash curler. It's so similar to the Shu Uemura eyelash curler, but it's so much cheaper at just Php175. Get a good mascara too, so your lashes will have more oomph. Check out Avon's Astonishing Lengths Mascara. This product is around 390 pesos. Maybelline is also famous for its mascara. Check out Maybelline's Unstoppable mascara to give your lashes that extra length and curl.

To further save money, you might want to opt for two-in-one products like Nichido's Multiple Stick which works on cheeks and eyes. It's just around 188 bucks. Also check out Mistine's Lip and Cheek tint. It's less than 200 bucks and as the product name says, it works for both your cheeks and your lips. It's also super similar to The Body Shop's lip and cheek tint which is more expensive. Tip: Before you apply your cheek tint, put on moisturizer first. That way, the color pops out even more.

If you want to give your eyes more definition, grab Nichido's eyeliners.You can also use Elianto eyeliner. Just dampen an eyeliner blush, and gently line on your upper and lower lash lines. Blend a little so you don't look too harsh. You can even use a q-tip for this but make sure you don't run it all over the place. Just soften your eyes. Better yet use Fashion 21's eyeliner because it already comes with a smudger at the tip.

If you want to get eyeshadow, check out Elianto's eyeshadows. They're super cheap but they work just as well as the pricey ones. One eyeshadow can go as low as 99 bucks. Elianto, The Face Shop all carry cosmetics that are good but relatively inexpensive compared to other makeup brands.

Last but not the least, don't forget to get a makeup remover! Don't skip this super important process of your makeup routine. For a cheap but effective makeup remover, check out Pond's Cold Cream. Just a few easy swipes and you're good to go.

SIP photoshoot

Just a quick insert ladies:

Yesterday, for the first time in my whole life, I did the makeup for a photoshoot. I've never really done makeup that will be used for um, commercial pursposes (?) Usually I'd do them for myself or for friends for parties and stuff like that. Just yesterday, though, I acted as makeup artist/stylist/"beautician" for SIP Magazine's cover photoshoot. It was my first EVER time to do a photoshoot for a magazine. When Milan, the editor, asked if I wanted to do it, I was a bit apprehensive at first but I'm so glad I said yes.

May I just say? I was thrilled. Thrilled to the bone thrilled. I was happy with the makeup (photos later!) and the photographer, art director, production assistant and editor-in-chief were pretty satisfied too. "Nag-go-glow yung model," one of the them said. Hayluvet. She might as well have said I was glowing. The instruction was makeup that would suit different types and colors of clothing so I opted for earth and neutral tones.

The model isn't morena but I'm posting it here anyway hehe. Watch out for the mag folks! It's going to be released on the second week of March, at all Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf outlets.